Monday, December 24, 2012

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Review

When I heard that The Hobbit was being split up into three movies to
create a trilogy, I had several worries when I left to go see the movie.

I was concerned that the book did not have sufficient scope to merit a
trilogy, but this fear turned out to be unfounded. Peter Jackson incorporated material from the appendices of The Return
of the King, along with material that is implied in the introduction and
text of the Hobbit, to further flesh out the history of the Dwarves.
The movie opens with Bilbo explaining the story of the lost kingdom of
Erebor, the ancient home carved into the roots of the Lonely Mountain,
where the Dwarves delved down to find the Arkenstone, the heart of the
mountain.

The pride and love that the Dwarves feel for their lost home
is felt piercingly in this installment of the Hobbit, and their quest is
the easier to understand and sympathize with for it.
The enmity that
the Dwarves hold toward the Mirkwood Elves is also covered in greater
depth, showing how Thranduriel did not come to the aid of the Dwarves of
Durin when Smaug lay waste to their home, thus providing a stronger
undercurrent of unrest to the story.

The story of Thorin's surname,
Oakenshield, is explained as well. The pale orc Azog that Thorin
fought with only a makeshift shield of oak in order to reclaim Moria (an
attempt that fails) becomes a major antagonist in the movie, lending an
urgency to the movie that would have been lacking before. The
resurgence of the Necromancer is also given more weight, since the White Council, made up of Gandalf,
Galadrial, Saruman, and Elrond, meet in Rivendell in order to
discuss the growing threat, after Radagast the Brown tells Gandalf that
the diseased Mirkwood is a result of the necromancer gaining more
power.

One of my fears concerning this installment of The Hobbit: An Unexpected
Journey lay in the way the filmmakers chose to split up the book: I was
afraid that the resulting film would feel choppy, and the ending would
be rushed, lacking any closure.
However, this was not the case, for
Bilbo's development from a fellow who "looks more like a grocer than a
burglar" to a real member of the Company is explored in the movie.

He is introduced as fearing the idea of adventures,
but when the Dwarves awake his hidden adventurousness, he runs after
the company, though he does forget his pocket handkerchief. Soon
afterward, when they make camp for the night, Fili and Kili scare Bilbo
by telling him that orcs are nearby, resulting in Thorin's dismissal of
Bilbo as "not really belonging to the company."

This conversation leads
Bilbo to try and prove himself by sneaking into the camp of three
churlish trolls in order to rescue some captured ponies, an endeavor that
nearly results in the entire company being killed and eaten. Thorin
continues to dismiss Bilbo, but slowly, his realization of Bilbo's worth
builds, a character development arc that encapsulates the story and
gives the entire movie a directness, as well as developing a theme of
the small and undervalued finding their inner strength, a theme that was prevalent in the Lord of the Rings.

-------------Spoiler Warning---------------

Bilbo even leaps to save Thorin after the Dwarf leader is injured and threatened by Azog with beheading, an act of bravery that prompts Thorin
to rescind his previous words of rejection and apologizes to Bilbo.

-----------End Spoiler Warning------------

This final scene brings the narrative full circle, and brings the story
to a natural close. I loved The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, and look
forward eagerly to the next installment.

They had a really cool hobbit-hole at the theatre, so of course I had to try the door.

Hiya! I can clearly see the fact that you really get the sense of what you are telling about. Do you have a degree or an education that is somehow associated with the theme of this article? Can't wait to see your answer.